𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 ── 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔. ✔︎

𝟬𝟭𝟬.

SITTING IN HER CAR, Theodore driving next to her as her two kids were nowhere to be seen. Ramona thought about her grandmother's will. She hated to say it, but she was excited to see what was going to unveil. "Who is that woman in the car beside us?" Theodore suddenly asked. They couple turned to look into the Rolls that was trying to overtake them, where there was a woman wearing a black hat with a dramatic black veil draped over her face.

"Looks like Marlene Dietrich," Ramona chuckled

"Actually, it does look like Marlene Dietrich. I wonder which sultan's wife that could be?"

Peering over, Ramona laughed. "That's no sultana. That's Fiona behind that getup."

Theodore and Ramona went along with her parents to the beautifully polished wooden pews reserved for the family, marveling at the beautiful neo-Gothic features of Singapore's oldest cathedral as she walked up the central aisle. Nick meanwhile headed to the chapel behind the altar to confer with his aunt Victoria, who was in the midst of coordinating all the speakers. He shook the president's hand and waited patiently for his marching orders. Victoria finally noticed him. "Oh Nicky, good, you're here. Listen, I hope you don't mind, but we've had to cut your speech from the program. We simply don't have the time, with everyone needing to speak."

Nick stared at her in dismay. "You're not serious?"

"I'm afraid I am. Please understand, we're already running overtime. We have three pastors speaking, the Sultan of Borneo, and the president. And then the Thai ambassador has a special message to deliver, and we also have to fit in Eddie's song-"

"Eddie's going to sing?" Nick was incredulous.

"Oh yes. He's been rehearsing a special hymn all week with a very special guest musician who's just flown in."

"So let me understand this: We have six people giving speeches, but no one from the family will actually get a chance to speak about Ah Ma?"

"Well, there's also been a last-minute addition. Henry Leong Jr. has decided to give a speech."

"Henry Junior? But he barely knows Ah Ma. He's spent most of his life in Malaysia being doted on by his Leong grandparents!"

Victoria smiled embarrassedly at the president, who was watching the whole exchange with piqued interest. "Nicky, may I remind you that your cousin Henry is the eldest grandson. He has every right to give a speech. And besides," Victoria lowered her voice, "he's running for a seat in parliament this year. Felicity said we HAVE to let him speak. And of course, the president wants him to!"

Nick stared at his aunt for a moment. Without another word, he turned around and headed back to his pew.

Back at the rows of seats, Ramona's jaw dropped. She spun around and faced Oliver, who was seated just behind her. "Am I hallucinating, or is that who I think it is over there in head-to-toe Chanel couture?"

Oliver turned and saw the lady who had just taken the seat on the aisle opposite from him. "Holy Anita Sarawak!" he muttered under his breath. It was Colette, sitting with her husband, the Earl of Palliser, and the British ambassador. How stupid of him-of course the earl would attend. His father, the Duke of Glencora, was great friends with Alfred Shang. Eagle-eyed Nancy T'sien leaned over and whispered to Oliver, "Who is that girl over there?"

"Which girl?" Oliver asked, feigning ignorance.

"The pretty Chinese girl sitting with all those ang mors." As the two of them looked at Colette, she suddenly swept her hair aside, revealing an enormous jade butterfly brooch pinned to her left shoulder. Oliver turned white as a sheet.

Nancy almost gasped, but she stopped herself. Instead, she said, "What an exquisite brooch. Mummy, do you see that lady's lovely jade brooch?" She tugged furiously at Rosemary T'sien's elbow.

"Oh. Yes," Rosemary paused for a moment in recognition. "How lovely it is."

Just then, Reverend Bo Lor Yong approached the pulpit and spoke too close to the microphone. His voice came out booming: "Your Majesties, Highnesses, Excellencies, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, may I present Shang Su Yi's dearest grandson, Edison Cheng, accompanied by the one and only...Lang Lang!"

The crowd murmured excitedly at the announcement of the celebrated pianist, and all eyes were on the main altar as Lang Lang walked to the grand piano and began to play the opening chords of a curiously familiar melody. The doors of the cathedral swung open, and eight Gurkha guards from Tyersall Park stood silhouetted in the dramatic arched entrance, bearing Su Yi's casket on their shoulders. Captain Vikram Ghale was the lead pallbearer, and as they slowly began to enter the nave of the cathedral, Eddie emerged from the shadows of the transept and took his place in front of the piano, a lone spotlight on him. As the guests in the church stood up respectfully, the casket made its way up the central aisle as Eddie began to sing in a quivering tenor:

"It must have been cold there in my shadowwwwww,

to never have sunlight on your faaaaaaace..."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ramona muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"They cut Nick's speech for this?" Theodore was furious and yet trying desperately not to laugh.

"Did I ever tell you you're my heeeee­eeeee­eero..." Eddie belted out, not quite hitting the right pitch.

Victoria turned to Felicity with a frown. "What on earth?"

Felicity whispered to Astrid, "Do you know this hymn?"

"It's not a hymn, Mum. It's 'Wind Beneath My Wings' by Bette Midler."

"Bet who?"

"Exactly. She's a singer Ah Ma would never have heard of either."

As the guards proceeded up the aisle, everyone in the cathedral suddenly went quiet as they caught sight of Su Yi's two devoted Thai lady's maids. Swathed in dark gray silk dresses with a single black orchid pinned above their breasts, they walked five paces behind her casket, tears running down their faces.

After the memorial service, guests were invited to a white tent that had been erected next to the cathedral, where everyone could mingle over an elaborate afternoon-tea buffet. The tent was decorated to replicate Su Yi's conservatory at Tyersall Park. Hundreds of pots of orchids in full bloom hung from the ceiling, while towering topiaries composed of roses from Su Yi's rose garden commanded each of the tables covered in Battenberg lace. A battalion of waitstaff rolled around antique silver carts arrayed with steaming cups of Darjeeling tea and ice-cold flutes of Lillet champagne, while chefs in white toques manned the tables filled with afternoon-tea standards like finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and nyonya cakes.

Ramona, Theodore, Nick, Rachel, and Astrid sat in a quiet corner reminiscing with cousins Alistair, Scheherazade, and Lucia.

"You know, I used to be deathly afraid of Ah Ma when I was little," Alistair confessed. "I think it's maybe because all the adults seemed to fear her, I just picked up on that."

"Really? She always seemed like a fairy godmother to me," Scheherazade said. "I remember one summer hols many years ago, I was wandering around Tyersall Park by myself when I came upon Great-auntie Su Yi. She was standing at the edge of that pond with those enormous lily pads, and when she saw me, she said, 'Zhi Yi, come'-she always called me by my Chinese name. She looked up at the sky and made this clicking sound with her tongue. Out of nowhere these two swans swooped down and landed right on the pond! Su Yi reached into the pocket of that blue gardening coat she always wore and pulled out little sardines. The swans glided up to her and gently ate the sardines out of her hand. I was absolutely mesmerized."

"Yes, those swans were the same pair that were always at the lake in the Botanic Gardens. Ah Ma used to say, 'Everyone thinks these swans live there, but actually this is their pond, and they just visit the Botanic Gardens because they've gotten fat and spoiled by all the tourists that feed them!' " Nick remembered.

"It's not fair, I feel like you got to know Great-auntie Su Yi much better than I did, Scheherazade!" Lucia said with a little pout.

Victoria, Felicity, and Alix skulked through the transept and entered the chapel on the opposite side. In the middle of the room was Su Yi's coffin.

"I'm telling you, her dentures were crooked," Felicity said.

"They didn't look crooked to me," Victoria argued.

"You'll see. Whoever the stupid mortician was that worked on her didn't place them properly."

"This is such a bad idea-" Alix began to protest.

"No, we must do this for Mummy. I won't be able to sleep if I let Mummy be cremated with crooked teeth." Felicity began to unfasten the lid of the casket. "Here, help me with this."

The three women lifted the lid of the casket slowly. Looking down at their mother cocooned in her golden robe, the sisters, normally such pillars of discipline and resolve, began to sob quietly. Felicity reached over to embrace Victoria, and the two of them began to cry even harder.

"We must be strong. We're all that's left now." Felicity sniffed as she began to collect herself. "It's funny how lovely she looks. Her complexion is smoother than it's ever been."

"While we're here, do we really want to let this Fabergé spectacle case be cremated? What a waste," Victoria said, sniffing.

"Those were her funerary instructions. We must honor them," Alix insisted.

Victoria scoffed at her little sister. "I don't think Mummy really considered the implications when she wrote that. Surely she would have wanted us to remove the Fabergé case after the funeral? Just like we removed the gold tiara? You know how she hated waste."

"All right, all right, just take the glasses out and place them beside her pillow. Now, someone help me open her mouth." Felicity leaned into the coffin and tugged at her mother's stiff jaw.

Suddenly she let out a shriek.

"What happened, what happened?" Victoria gasped.

Felicity cried, "The pearl! The Tahitian black pearl! I opened her mouth and it rolled down her throat!"